What I find interesting is that 'most' SA CAA employees I deal with (on a daily basis) feels that TA should never set foot in the CAA again (since WS took over there has been an improvement - no doubt on my side). In addition, it is heard that most of his 'troops' should have the good sence to get out while the going is good.

You've got to feel sorry for her. How can she possibly give CAA the shake up it needs when neither the Board nor the Minister have the backbone to make the position permanent.

Just based on the IRP findings it's obvious that Trevor is not Commissioner material. CAA have acted on all the IRP recommendations -- even so far as to schedule diciplinary hearings for Van Wyk and De Kock who've demonstrated a desire to uphold the law.

She cirtainly looks promising so far but we can't really tell until the spectre of Trevor's return is banished forever...

AN EMPLOYEE of the Civil Aviation Authority who was implicated in a pilot licence examination scandal has been axed from his job.

The Sunday Times exposed the scam in April when a whistleblower claimed that commercial pilots, some employed by South African Airways, were paying up to R9 700 to buy illegally obtained copies of Airline Transport Pilots licence question papers.

Passing the test allows pilots to take on more responsibility, including at times taking over the flight controls, of passenger-carrying aircraft.

An independent panel appointed to investigate the allegations found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the eight implicated pilots but recommended that action be taken against CAA staff involved in the scam.

The panel heard evidence that CAA employee Brandon Harris had stolen a college's computer password to gain access to the test papers on computer. He then passed the test papers on to a pilot worried about failing.

A disciplinary hearing found Harris guilty of a "criminal offence" related to the leaking of test papers.

He was dismissed from the CAA with effect from October 5, CAA spokesman Jackie Mfeka said this week.

One of the key figures in the investigation into the pilot licence scam in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Colin Weir, has fled the country after being robbed, followed and terrorised.

The newspaper Beeld reports that Weir was robbed under suspicious circumstances last week, and was followed by strangers on two different occasions. He and his family boarded a flight to Australia under police escort on Sunday night.

Weir, an aviation expert, has since the beginning of the year been investigating the alleged buying and selling of examination papers for the senior commercial pilot’s licence. The investigation, which is now also handled by the police, has led to the arrest of the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Trevor Abrahams, two other CAA officials and six pilots.

Last week, four men stole an attaché case containing R35 000 from Weir’s car while his daughter and a friend were in the car. The children were unhurt, but Weir believes it was an attempt to kidnap his child

This thread gets better by the day, it is starting to read like the Helderberg thread! Death Threats, people leaving the country under police escort? What next? The CAA's corrupt officials must be feeling the heat....

Clearly the cops regard the threats as serious: police protection is virtually unheard of in this country. Esterhuisen is a police officer and it seems he chose to take the risk because he did not feel it worthwhile to put his family through the relocation ordeal. Merely relocating within the country offers limited protection in a society as corrupt as ours.

Not about the ATP scam, that court hearing on the 17 Jan, but this is for starters.

It appears the intrepid Trevor Abrahams has finally been found guilty of flying without proper licences and also failing to report flying incidents which he was involved in. It is interesting to read that at the time of these accusations been reported by South African press, Trevor Abraham denied everything! Read the following Sunday Times article for all the "tasty" bits http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2001/01/14/news/news01.htm

[This message has been edited by WildFrequency (edited 14 January 2001).]